The Fratt house Takes on the World! - Sept 2012 PTR

[Fratthouse]

I can't believe your trip is so soon, I'm jealous! I'm down to two weeks and 5 days, pretty soon I'll be counting the seconds. I'm assuming you're going to do a full blow trip report when you return?? Aaaaagh! I know!! I couldn't believe when I realized I'm down to single digits! I'm planning doing a trip report - It just seems like such a fun way to experience your vacation all over again....while waiting to plan the next one, of course!



Karamel Kuche has the BEST snacks!! My absolute favorite WDW snack is a chocolate covered caramel with sea salt. I don't know if you're into the salt/chocolate trend that's going on now but it is SO.GOOD. Seriously, try one. I love chocolate & caramel - this was actually the snack I was thinking of getting, but had heard so much more about the caramel popcorn that I was second guessing myself. I'm definitely going to get this now!




I've never had the pretzel but it's on my list of "must try snacks" this time around...have you had one before? Are they spicy? I've never had one, but I will let you know! I kind of like spicy, as long as it's not so hot that it overpowers any of the other flavors. I really like jalapeno potato chips, so I'm hoping it's kind of like that?

Definitely go to Ohana hungry! That was one of my favorite meals last time...the food is so yummy and there is soooo much of it!! Yay! I'm so excited to try this place! I definitely plan on eating light all day so that I can eat as much as possible!!

 

[rachel09985]

I love your AK Plans! I, as well, love AK! It isn't my favorite park but it definitely ranks above hollywood studios. AK is just soooo beautiful, definitely the most visual of all parks.

I so want to try a jalapeno cheese pretzel too! I heard it is so good.

 

[Fratthouse]

I love your AK Plans! I, as well, love AK! It isn't my favorite park but it definitely ranks above hollywood studios. AK is just soooo beautiful, definitely the most visual of all parks.

I so want to try a jalapeno cheese pretzel too! I heard it is so good.

Oh man - my mouth is just watering thinking about all the yummy food I am going to eat. Man I wish I was there right now!!

 

[lurkernj]

Yes, definitely go to Ohana hungry! I always do, and I still leave there wayyy to stuffed.

Love your AK day. I really enjoy AK too. I can't say it's my favorite park, but I LOVE THEM ALL And always try to make time for this park. It's very relaxing to stroll the trails. Mmmmm, that pretzel looks delish

That Poly pool looks awesome, I'd definitely be making time for that too

 

[Fratthouse]

Yes, definitely go to Ohana hungry! I always do, and I still leave there wayyy to stuffed. This seems to be a common theme in everyone's comments!! I'm thinking I can scratch pool time off my list of possible evening activities - no way I'm getting in a bathing suit after a meal like this!

Love your AK day. I really enjoy AK too. I can't say it's my favorite park, but I LOVE THEM ALL And always try to make time for this park. It's very relaxing to stroll the trails. Mmmmm, that pretzel looks delish I've had so much fun detailing out my plans for each day, and each one seems like it's going to be so much fun. But I have to admit, out of all the days I've planned so far, I think this is the one I'm looking forward to the most.

That Poly pool looks awesome, I'd definitely be making time for that too Agreed! I must try the water slide!

 

[Fratthouse]

So I have a confession to make. Today is Epcot day, and as I look back on my first impression of this park……I wasn’t very impressed.

GASP! Hannah, we know you’re a non-conformist, but it’s unthinkable for you not to like Epcot! It’s mandatory that this is in the top two favorite parks for all Disers! How could you say such a horrible thing?!?!

OK, ok. Let me finish. Gees.

It ended up growing on me, and now I like it pretty well. Not as much as AK. And not as much as MK. But it’s definitely in my top three, ok? And I have a legitimate reason for it taking awhile to warm up to this park. Here’s the story:

So I like to refer to our first trip to WDW as “the highlights reel”. We had two days to cram in as many attractions, shows, and dining experiences as we could. Our basic goal was to hit the highlights of all the parks, then move on as fast as we could. That’s where Epcot became a problem. You see, it’s not really a “highlights” kind of park. At AK, you could basically see the Tree of Life, ride Everest and the Safari and feel like you pretty much experienced the main attractions. HS is the same way – ride ToT, RnRC, and TSMM and you’re good to go. MK has a few more attractions that make up the core, but still very doable in just a few hours. Epcot? Not so much. Of course you ride Soarin’ and Test Track, but then you have to take on the World Showcase. And this place was not designed for someone who is on a tight time schedule and needing to just see a few main attractions. This place was designed for lingering, taking in all the details, soaking up the atmosphere in each of the countries, standing in line for snacks, and lots and lots of shopping. If you don’t take time to appreciate at least some of those things, the beauty of the World Showcase will be missed entirely – as it was on me.
But a year later, I had to travel to Florida for work. I was with a coworker who requested that we spend our free day at this park, so I agreed (a little less than enthusiastically. I would have way preferred to go to MK, but wasn’t going to argue). And guess what? I really had a lot of fun on this day. We rode a lot of rides I didn’t experience the first time around, took some time to soak in the beauty of the park, and spent a lot of time experiencing the World Showcase. I’m still not completely conformed to the group of Epcot junkies – hence why I always stay at the MK resorts rather than the Epcot resorts – but it continues to impress me each time I go. So who knows? Maybe this year it will be my favorite

Here’s the plan:

We have an early lunch reservation, so we’ll either grab something light at Capt Cook’s, or I may just skip it all together – with the exception of a Dr Pepper. Dr Pepper is an absolute requirement for me in the morning. We’ll hit some of the attractions in future world, then head to our lunch reservation at:

LE CELLIER! I’m looking forward to this about as much as I am looking forward to Ohana! Look out Cheddar Cheese Soup! I’m going to eat you!!!

We’ll spend the rest of the day wandering around the world showcase and maybe ride a few more rides. I want to grab dinner at Boulangerie Pattisserie – their quiche is probably the best thing I’ve had in WDW so far. And I don’t really even like quiche!

At some point we’ll head over to Hollywood Studio in time to watch Fantasmic! . I haven’t seen this show since the first night of our first trip, and I’m dying to see it again! It’s actually a goal of mine to watch all three nighttime shows on this trip. We’ll see if that actually happens! Before the show, I also want to grab a carrot cake cookie from the Writer’s Stop to snack on. Looks really yummy, and I think I’ll be hungry by this point, as long as I don’t overdo it on the quiche

After that, it’s back to the Poly and then to bed. This will probably be the longest day, as I don’t have any relax / resort time scheduled in the afternoon. But if we finish up early at Epcot, we could skip dinner at Boulangerie and head back to the Poly for a break if needed. I’m hoping DS will sleep as we walk around World Showcase, but if not, nap time at the hotel will be a necessity What I’d like to do instead is take a little trip over to the Boardwalk resort area and have a quick look around. But this may have to wait until tomorrow, depending on how we feel.

What I’m looking forward to most:

1 – Le Cellier! I’ve been dreaming of this place ever since I managed to snag a last minute reservation. Cheddar Cheese soup? Yes, please!

2 – Seeing Epcot again there’s a few attractions that I want to try for the first time, and I’m looking forward to having an entire day to meander around the World Showcase. I’m hoping to see a few performances, do a little shopping, and build on my appreciation for this park.

3 - Soarin – this is one of my favorite rides. I’m hoping I get the chance to ride while DH is with us, because I’ll need him to watch DS in order for me to be able to go on it. If not, I guess there’s next time?

And now the last day approaches. Is it crazy that I get sad even just planning for the last day?? Sigh….wish I had the money to buy a house here: http://www.disneygoldenoak.com/. I get emotional just hearing the theme music on this website. Only Disney.

 

[Fratthouse]

The final day.

I don’t even know how I’ll be feeling when I wake up on this morning. I know part of me will be sad, but I will give myself a pep talk. It will go like this:

“Self, it’s time you cheer up. You are in Disneyworld. You have one final day. Enjoy it.”

And I hope that self will listen, and will put away all thoughts of tomorrow and instead fully enjoy the magical day that is ahead. That’s the plan.

So today we’re going back to the MK. The plan is to go on Wednesday when we first arrive, but only for a few hours in the evening, and it’s mostly just to see Wishes. So today will be the primary day to enjoy the park. Here’s the scoop:

I hope to make rope drop and see the opening show (may not happen because we’ll probably be super tired by this point, but never hurts to try, right?). I’ve only seen this once, and I got a little choked up during the countdown. Why can’t every day start with a little song, a little dance, and a countdown to when the magic begins? I’d probably be a lot more productive if it did….

Anyways, after entering the park, I want to get one of these for breakfast:

It’s a good thing it’s the last day – otherwise there’s no telling how many of these babies I could put away. I mean, nutella on anything is divine. But nutella and Disneyworld combined? I don’t think I can handle such happiness.

If I don’t go into a sugar-coma after breakfast, we’ll hit the attractions. You can see original list in my day 1 entry of the attractions that will be priority. It’s the usuals – the mountains, POTC, HM, all of Fantasy Land, Buzz Lightyear, and People Mover. If there’s time, we may do some secondary attractions: Hall of Presidents, Carpets of Aladdin, Enchanted Tiki House (would like to see the new / old version, and think DS might like this), Liberty Riverboat (if we need a break to chill for a bit), Carousel of Progress (maybe DS might sleep?), and anything else we happen to stumble upon.

I think we’ll head out fairly early in the afternoon for a nap / pool break. We’ll get a few good hours of rest and relaxation in before we head to Epcot for a dinner reservation at:

Via Napoli

Originally this wasn’t on my list, but after much thought and debate, I decided to swap some things around to avoid having to eat a table service dinner at HS. So this replaced Sci Fi. I’ve heard really good things about this place and am looking forward to trying it. It should be a nice, relaxing last dinner in WDW. Afterwards, I want to grab a chocolate croissant from Boulangerie Pattiserie (can you tell this is my favorite place in Epcot?) and then we have a few options. If we didn’t get to the day before, I’d like to go check out the Boardwalk Resort area. I’ve never seen it and think it would be fun. DH expressed interest in doing this as well. If we were able to do this on Saturday, we’ll either walk around World Showcase or head back to the Poly. If DS will go to sleep in our arms, we might sit on the beach at the Poly and watch Wishes. After that, I’m hoping DH will be tired and want to go to sleep so that I can then go by myself back to MK for EMH. Does that sound selfish? Maybe it is….but I know there are going to be rides I didn’t get to go on because of height requirements, so I’d like to maybe squeeze some of those in before our trip is over. EMH go until 12 that night, so I’ll head back and crash after that.

Our flight is at 10 am the next day, so I’m sure we’ll have to be ready by 7 for ME. Ugh – that’s 6 am central time, which is sooooo early. But I guess it’s for the best – it’s like pulling the band aid off really fast. If it was later, I’d have to spend all morning moping around. This way there’s no time to dwell on it. So we say farewell until next year.

Up next: A few fun purchases and let the packing begin!

 

[rachel09985]

I can't believe your trip is next week! I hope you will do a trip report when you come back!

I looove your professional pics, they are so adorable. Your son is such a happy baby!!!

Talk to you soon before your departure day!

 

[Fratthouse]

I can't believe your trip is next week! I hope you will do a trip report when you come back! It's crazy! I was reading through some TR's this morning and just thinking, "I am going to be there in 5 days! AAAGH!!"

I looove your professional pics, they are so adorable. Your son is such a happy baby!!! Thanks I hope he stays in that mood for this trip! He's been a little under the weather the past couple of days, so his temperament is a little off. Hopefully he makes a full recovery by Wednesday!!

Talk to you soon before your departure day!

 

[Fratthouse]

We are down to five days, friends! Let the chaos begin!!

Today I started packing. What that means is I pulled our luggage out of the closet and spread it all over our bedroom floor. Then I threw a bunch of my "potential outfits" onto the middle of our bed. Then I went to DS's closet and pulled out his clothes and other necessities and piled them by our bedroom door (no reason they are there and not inside our room. That's just as far as I got with them). Then I thought, "Hey! Now would be a good time to do an update on my PTR!" So I abandoned the above packing project in a total state of disarray and decided to share a few more details with you about our trip. DH is going to be so pleased with me when he gets home from work and can't even walk into our bedroom!

So first, I thought I would share a few little trip purchases I've made over the last couple of weeks. Now, I will admit I'm not one to get all decked out in Disney attire whenever we go to WDW. I love it when other people do, and know that Disney has really cute and stylish clothes. It's just not my thing. Buuuuuuut now I have a one year old. And OF COURSE he has to be dressed in Disney!! So here's a few things I picked up for him:

I got both of these from Target a couple of weeks ago and gave them to DS for his birthday. He looks so cute in them - I especially love the little hoodie They're long sleeved, so I hope he doesn't get to warm. They do seem to be a pretty lightweight material. If it's a problem, we'll just get a picture of him in it and then change his outfit

I got this shirt at Target at the same time as the others, but it was on clearance for only $5! Steal! It's a perfect HS shirt, don't you think?

These are just some cute Cars pajamas I got for Jett at Walmart a week or so ago. I went back yesterday and they had Buzz and Mickey ones that were cuter. I guess I could exchange these, but that would mean going through customer service at my walmart, and to be honest, I'd rather just buy a second pair than put myself through that. So I think we'll just stick with the cars for now.

I just got one other shirt in the mail today that I ordered off ebay, but it's in the laundry, so no picture - sorry! It may or may not get posted before our trip! If not, you'll just have to read the TR to see pics

And even though I said I don't really do Disney attire, I did purchase one little thing for me:

It was on clearance at walmart for $3 yesterday, and I thought, "what the heck. Everybody needs a cap to wear to the theme parks. You know, in case it rains, or your hair gets wet on a ride, or something...." So I bought it. $3 - that's like the cost of a soda at WDW. So I think it's worth it, right?

A couple other little indulgences:

Ok, I really don't like Walmart, and I try to avoid it whenever possible. But I find the BEST Disney stuff on clearance there! These were in the infant section marked down to $4. I couldn't resist.

And finally, my trip journal:

You can probably guess where I found this. I was in an entirely different section of the store, when out of no where - It's like it was placed here just for me. Now it's not that uncommon to find random items in the totally wrong spot throughout the store at my walmart, and it's usually annoying. But this time it was a nice little surprise. And I've never seen another one of these anywhere in my store (even in the right section). So I think it was put here for me by some sweet little fairies (If you've seen a bazillion of these at your local walmart, please don't tell me. I'd rather just believe I'm special. Thanks for your cooperation)

In other news, our Mickey mail never came It's not the end of the world, I guess. We'll just have to wait for our checked luggage before getting on the ME. There are worse things, I suppose. Still a little disappointing, but I guess in planning a trip three weeks out, if that's the only thing that goes wrong I shouldn't be too upset.

So that's about it! We'll be hitting the road in five days - it can't get here soon enough! But in a strange way, I also can't believe it's really here - does that make any sense? It's been so fun sharing my plans with you all! If any news does pop up between now and Wednesday, I'll be sure an update. If not, thanks for following along, and "see ya real soon"!

 

[cfw213]

Just got caught up on your PTR. I read in someone else's PTR that they didn't get their Mickey mail either - weird! The tags are soo cute this year though. Maybe you can ask for one at check in?

In other news, we must share the same taste buds. We also have ADRs for Le Cellier (and I will definitely be getting the soup!!) and Via Napoli - definitely looking forward to it. Also on "must eat" snack list are carrot cake cookies and the fruit waffle at MK, yumm.

I think I'm going to banned from the Disboards too, because Epcot is my least favorite park too! Oh well, to each their own can't believe your trip is so soon!

 

[BearcatsFan]

All caught up! Can't believe you didn't get your Mickey Mail either. This is like the third PTR I've read that in lately. What the heck is going on at WDW these days?

I *love* all the shirts you bought, and the hat for you is so cute! Your trip is getting so close!

 

[deedee2177]

So excited for you! I made some Disney purchases yesterday at Target for my little guy. They had a 3 pack of Disney onesies for $12 so I bought 2 packs...one pack is Finding Nemo theme and the other is Mickey Mouse. So cute and the way he goes through onesies I feel like I could never havs enough. I also got a couple of Minnie Mouse shirts for my step-daughter and a super cute Minnie dress.

 

[shalom]

Why can’t every day start with a little song, a little dance, and a countdown to when the magic begins? I’d probably be a lot more productive if it did….

Seriously! I wonder what it would take to motivate the kids to do that for me. Middle daughter spent her nights at a friend's house while we were out of town this past week, and there's another friend's daughter living there (they live closer to her college), and apparently the other friend's daughter has formed a habit of getting up and making coffee for her hostess every morning. This motivated middle daughter to get up yesterday morning and run around tidying up for us (we don't drink coffee ).

The effect only lasted one day, but it was fun while it lasted! Have to suggest she do the morning song and dance thing and see if I get one of those out of her. I get both song and dance out of her anyhow, but it's usually in the afternoon and it's one or the other.

Our flight is at 10 am the next day, so I’m sure we’ll have to be ready by 7 for ME. Ugh – that’s 6 am central time, which is sooooo early. But I guess it’s for the best – it’s like pulling the band aid off really fast. If it was later, I’d have to spend all morning moping around. This way there’s no time to dwell on it. So we say farewell until next year.

That's one advantage to driving -- our last day, we can get up, pack the van, and go! Plus I drive first, so I'm under an obligation to pay attention to the road and all until noon or later, and by that time we've driven far enough the scenery has usually drawn me in a bit, which muffles the pain some. I've read trip reports where people don't leave until the afternoon of their last day and I think it must be really tough.

Then I thought, "Hey! Now would be a good time to do an update on my PTR!" So I abandoned the above packing project in a total state of disarray and decided to share a few more details with you about our trip.

This is how I pack. Haul everything out, look at it, and immediately decide, "This would be a great time for a totally different project!"

Now, I will admit I'm not one to get all decked out in Disney attire whenever we go to WDW. I love it when other people do, and know that Disney has really cute and stylish clothes. It's just not my thing. Buuuuuuut now I have a one year old. And OF COURSE he has to be dressed in Disney!!

Also my philosophy when dressing infants and toddlers. Works better if you get the clothes while they're not around -- my mother made the mistake of taking me along on a shopping trip for a winter coat once, and I fell in love with a purple plaid coat she really wasn't enthused about. Mom's not a fan or purple or plaid. I'm wearing it in one of the pictures of myself and my brother, but it's a black and white pic so until she advised me to shop without the kids, with the why, I didn't know for years that I was a purple fiend by age two.

I got this shirt at Target at the same time as the others, but it was on clearance for only $5! Steal! It's a perfect HS shirt, don't you think?

I was thinking exactly that!

Ok, I really don't like Walmart, and I try to avoid it whenever possible. But I find the BEST Disney stuff on clearance there!

I like Walmart better since I ran across the fact that getting a Walmart in the area generally lowers food prices 15%. We live near one of the areas that regularly made national news as being one of the worst hit in 2009 and since, so I know enough people who sometimes really struggle to afford food that I truly appreciate that discount.

I love the Mickey on your trip journal -- they totally captured a shot from an old cartoon where he's excited to be going on a trip (although I think it was a trip to the beach or something a lot more minor than WDW -- the Mickey of that era hadn't yet "arrived" I suppose ).

Wow, Mickey Mail seems to have been pretty iffy lately. I second someone's suggestion of requesting a label when you get there -- it's a perk of staying onsite, and a nice little souvineer if you scrapbook (or just use random flat stuff for bookmarks ).

 

[Fratthouse]

Just got caught up on your PTR. I read in someone else's PTR that they didn't get their Mickey mail either - weird! The tags are soo cute this year though. Maybe you can ask for one at check in? yeah - several people have commented that this was the case. I think I will end up asking for that tag - they are really cute, so maybe they'll have some extras. Thanks for the idea!

In other news, we must share the same taste buds. We also have ADRs for Le Cellier (and I will definitely be getting the soup!!) and Via Napoli - definitely looking forward to it. Also on "must eat" snack list are carrot cake cookies and the fruit waffle at MK, yumm. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about all the food I'm going to be eating over the next few days. Sooo happy

I think I'm going to banned from the Disboards too, because Epcot is my least favorite park too! Oh well, to each their own can't believe your trip is so soon! Yes! We leave tomorrow!! Yours is coming soon, too. Hooray!

 

[Fratthouse]

All caught up! Can't believe you didn't get your Mickey Mail either. This is like the third PTR I've read that in lately. What the heck is going on at WDW these days?

I *love* all the shirts you bought, and the hat for you is so cute! Your trip is getting so close!

Thanks I picked up one more shirt at the Disney store today for $3 for the little man. It's just a t-shirt, but something about it being baby-sized makes it cuter, don't you think?

 

[Fratthouse]

So excited for you! I made some Disney purchases yesterday at Target for my little guy. They had a 3 pack of Disney onesies for $12 so I bought 2 packs...one pack is Finding Nemo theme and the other is Mickey Mouse. So cute and the way he goes through onesies I feel like I could never havs enough. I also got a couple of Minnie Mouse shirts for my step-daughter and a super cute Minnie dress.

That's awesome - I've looked around Target and didn't see the onesies at mine. You're right - you can never have too many of those. I make one last trip tonight to see if I can find them - I'm sure there's some other last minute items I need to pick up for my trip.....

 

[Fratthouse]

Seriously! I wonder what it would take to motivate the kids to do that for me. Middle daughter spent her nights at a friend's house while we were out of town this past week, and there's another friend's daughter living there (they live closer to her college), and apparently the other friend's daughter has formed a habit of getting up and making coffee for her hostess every morning. This motivated middle daughter to get up yesterday morning and run around tidying up for us (we don't drink coffee ).

The effect only lasted one day, but it was fun while it lasted! Have to suggest she do the morning song and dance thing and see if I get one of those out of her. I get both song and dance out of her anyhow, but it's usually in the afternoon and it's one or the other.






That's one advantage to driving -- our last day, we can get up, pack the van, and go! Plus I drive first, so I'm under an obligation to pay attention to the road and all until noon or later, and by that time we've driven far enough the scenery has usually drawn me in a bit, which muffles the pain some. I've read trip reports where people don't leave until the afternoon of their last day and I think it must be really tough.





This is how I pack. Haul everything out, look at it, and immediately decide, "This would be a great time for a totally different project!"





Also my philosophy when dressing infants and toddlers. Works better if you get the clothes while they're not around -- my mother made the mistake of taking me along on a shopping trip for a winter coat once, and I fell in love with a purple plaid coat she really wasn't enthused about. Mom's not a fan or purple or plaid. I'm wearing it in one of the pictures of myself and my brother, but it's a black and white pic so until she advised me to shop without the kids, with the why, I didn't know for years that I was a purple fiend by age two.






I was thinking exactly that!



I like Walmart better since I ran across the fact that getting a Walmart in the area generally lowers food prices 15%. We live near one of the areas that regularly made national news as being one of the worst hit in 2009 and since, so I know enough people who sometimes really struggle to afford food that I truly appreciate that discount.

I love the Mickey on your trip journal -- they totally captured a shot from an old cartoon where he's excited to be going on a trip (although I think it was a trip to the beach or something a lot more minor than WDW -- the Mickey of that era hadn't yet "arrived" I suppose ).

Wow, Mickey Mail seems to have been pretty iffy lately. I second someone's suggestion of requesting a label when you get there -- it's a perk of staying onsite, and a nice little souvineer if you scrapbook (or just use random flat stuff for bookmarks ).

I should probably explain my walmart comment - I don't hate all walmarts. just the one by my house. I know there are many well-run (or at least reasonably well run), organized walmarts that are really the most cost effective way to go. Ours is just one giant disaster - very poor service, constantly out of stock of many of the items I need, extremely disorganized, and the store is laid out so poorly that you feel like you are constantly going to run into the other customers or get run over by them. It usually ends up being an extremely frustrating experience every time I go. Plus, I once had a lady try to pick up my son out of my shopping cart. I'm not sure what she was going to do once she picked him up, so I won't say it was definitely a baby snatching attempt, but it sure felt that way. Thus, I try to avoid walmart.

 

[Fratthouse]

So I know I said I wasn't going to update anymore unless something exciting happened. Well guess what? TWO exciting things happened!!

First, I GOT MY MICKY MAIL!!! It finally came today - the day before we leave. I guess that's just how things work sometimes, isn't it? So HOORAY for Micky Mail - and for not having to wait on my checked baggage!

But wait, there's more!

And this is some really big news, friends!!

Background: In my first entry, I told you a two things about my husband:
1 - He is a health freak (and I am not).

2 - He is not a Disney lover.

This reveals to you two sources of tension in our marriage. All marriages have those, right? Just those things you agree to disagree on, but behind the scenes, you're still disagreeing about it, right? Ok, well in our marriage, that's how it works.

First, my husband is constantly wanting me to live a healthier lifestyle - ie eat better and exercise. This is strictly about my health, not a weight thing (I'm actually quite a lot thinner than when we started dating. So it's really not that he wants me to be skinnier). On the other hand, I really enjoy drinking several Dr. Pepper's a day, having dessert after every meal, and not doing any sort of physical activity that would cause me to sweat. Or make me sore. Or cause me to feel any kind of pain or uncomfortableness. We clash over this fairly often.

Second, my husband is very resistant to taking a Disney vacation that we would have to pay for (most of the cost of this trip are covered by my husbands work - we are only paying for my flight and the cost of my food). His rationale is that if we can go every year for free, why would we ever pay to go? My point of view is that we rarely get to spend more than a few short days when we go, plus I'd like to go during some other parts of the year (ie Christmas). And we also don't know how long we'll get to keep going with my husband's work. It's never a definite thing until a few months out.

With that in mind, we were having a conversation the other night about marathon races because DH's company is thinking about hosting one in connection with one of their events. I mentioned something about the Disney marathons and half marathons, and he started asking what they were like. I told them about how you run through Disney parks, have character meet and greets, and entertainment along the way. "Basically," I said, "it's the best case scenario if you have to run a half marathon. I mean, I'd do it if it meant I could go to Disneyworld"

He paused, then said, "Now that's an interesting idea. If you agreed to a health challenge and actually followed through on it, I would take you to Disneyworld."

That's right, friends! DH has agreed to take me to Disney if I complete a six month health challenge - criteria set by him, but we negotiated a few things. Here's the challenge:

- No dark soda or sweet tea. Can have one Sprite a day.
- Drink 8 glasses (total of 64oz) of water each day.
- Meals need to be in the following proportion: 1/2 of plate is fruits and vegetables, 1/4 is carbs, 1/4 is protein
- One dessert a day - 200 calories or less
- Exercise one hour, five days a week (going for walks counts)
- One meal a week is a "cheat" meal, and I can have whatever I want
- I get three "strikes" (times when I fail to meet one of the above criteria)

OK - so this is going to be REALLY challenging for me! Maybe it doesn't seem that difficult to many of you, but believe me, this is a HUGE adjustment from where I'm currently at. BUT - it's also a HUGE reward! DH agreed to take me the first week of December 2013 - which would be my birthday week, plus it would be Christmas time, and also should be fairly low crowds!

So that's my huge news! Wish me luck! I plan on starting the challenge right after we get back from Disney And since we leave tomorrow, this officially concludes my PTR. Thanks so much for following along. You've made writing this a lot of fun. I hope to see all of you in my future trip report!

 

[cfw213]

First of all, Ahh you're leaving for Disney tomorrow - have soooo much fun!!

Second - I hear ya on the diet/exercise thing. I'm tiny (like 5'0 and about 110 lbs) but I eat SO bad and don't exercise. I don't look unhealthy but I really am! I'm trying to be better about exercise (I'm aiming for 3x a week on the elliptical for 1/2 hr - not great but better than nothing), and I've kept up with that for a few weeks.

Eating healthy is harder for me! I love fruit but I am notttt a veggie or salad person. I'll eat a saladworks one once in a while but I can't remember the last time I ate a vegetable - its so bad! And I could never give up my diet coke, I am addicted to it.

Good luck to you! Going to Disney in the end is a great incentive to keep at it!!